1:00pm I arrived in front of the toll gate to enter Whittier, AK.
The toll gate for what? The longest tunnel in North America, called Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel.
Why did I have to wait for 30 min? Because it's one way at a time.The weather is perfect (sunny, 60F) and it's beautiful!!!

2:30pm I got plenty time here and updated this site... According to the 'Whittier 2010' brochure,
this city was established by the US Army during World War II as a "secret port"...

5:00pm I didn't think I could really find salmonberries, but I found ones here in Whittier. Yeah!!!
I washed and ate all 3 pcs. "Let's see if I'm alive tomorrow." Just kidding ;p
A local couple confirmed those were salmonberries and safe to eat :)

6:00pm I checked in the AMH ferry, M/V Kennicott, almost 3 hours before the departure time.
Wow, the ferry is huge. I've never traveled by ferry!

Of course, I took my car with me. All the cars were tightened well. Another interesting experience...
I didn't have any, but pets could stay in the cars. We, the passengers, were able to go down to the car deck a few times/day.

I could afford to get a full-furnished room, but this adventure was to try something different!
I was curious to see how bad the unfurnished room called '2 berth roomette' (no blanket, sink or shower room).
There was a thin, but fairly comfy mattress. I brought my blanket/pillow from the apartment.There were clean public shower rooms on the same floor and all worked well.
I couldn't live like this more than a few weeks, but I enjoyed it for a change.
I saw some people camping in a cold/open area on the upper deck.
Compared to it, the 'roomette' was much better with complete privacy.

Day 1 - YakutatThe ferry arrived 2 hours earlier. I thought Whittier was a very small town, but ...
Nothing!? Not even mini-store, coffee kiosk, no Internet/cell phone connection!
Well, I saw fresh silver salmon coming in the ferry, so maybe I should try AMH Cafe.

Day 2 - Juneau
We saw 2 helicopters by the port and maybe that's the reason we had to wait and lost 1 hour in Juneau.Also, a taxi driver said approx. $36 (20 min) x 2 for RT to the downtown. No, it's not worth it (10 min in dt).
Bad news is I couldn't ..., but good news is I've already been to Juneau and knew the town :).

There was a bus system, but I decided to walk 2 miles to downtown Ketchikan since it was sunny.

I saw a mall, markets and a lot of fish I could catch easily ;-pI found free wi-fi at Plaza Mall and updated this site.

You never know what you are missing unless you come and see a new place.
Now I'm happy the ferry stopped in Ketchikan for almost 2 days instead of Juneau!
It's another interesting city.

I usually stay away from anything fried, but had to try this for the first & last time.
Not just Fish & Chips. It's SALMON Fish & Chips in KETCHIKAN, Salmon Capital of the World! It was made in front of me.

Some area is like Amsterdam. Don't you think so?

Day 5 - Prince Rupert ~ Prince George ~ Quesnel
4:15am - Prince Rupert - The ferry arrived at Prince Rupert port on time.
At Canada customs,
I showed my US passport card only(yes, the card comes handy in and out of Canada, no passport book required).Tim Horton's popular (and my favorite) in Canada was open (4am ~). I got a cup of coffee and a mixberry muffin.
I was glad I didn't miss this one because I didn't see another one or any coffee shop next 3~400 miles :-/
Since it was so early, dark and mostly foggy that the driving was dangerous for the first 2 hours.
12:30pm - Prince George - I made it (drove 446 miles) and arrived in Prince George!
Stephen/my husband arrived at the Prince George Airport on time, too.
10:00pm We arrived in Quesnel :)

Day 6 - Good Bye, Canada ~ Seattle, WA

We look forward to seeing Tim in California!

Despite the record rainfall in Seattle area on the day, we made it.

Day 7 - Redding, CA
Can an 'OVERSIZE LOAD' pass another vehicle? We thought this was a little funny.

Stephen drove 580 miles!!! and reserved a nice hotel for us. "Thank you, honey." We are back in California!

Day 8 - Los Angeles, CA
The last day of this adventure ...

We've been to Pea Soup Andersen's in Buellton, CA near Santa Barbara, but not this one in Santa Nella, CA.The restaurant looked newer. The pea soup and lunch were as good as the other one :)